DOXA Documentary Film Festival features Secrets and Lies theme this year. The closing film is 'A Brony Tale' by Vancouver-based filmmaker Brent Hodge. The story follows the journey of musician Ashleigh Ball - who performs the voices of Apple Jack and Rainbow Dash in My Little Pony show - as she travels to the BronyCon, the largest My Little Pony fan convention in the world.

Is Robert De Niro secretly a “brony?”

Does the veteran film star, producer and Tribeca Film Festival founder have a special place in his heart for friendship and magic? For rainbows and pixie dust and all things related to animated television hit My Little Pony?

Vancouver filmmaker Brent Hodge can certainly wonder. His first full-length documentary entitled A Brony Tale — and tagged as “a film about men ... who love My Little Pony” — is making waves in New York City, where it will be screened for a sold-out crowd Saturday as part of Tribeca’s 13th edition.

De Niro admittedly has a soft spot for the film, with film and TV website Indiewire reporting A Brony Tale was his most anticipated screening at the festival.

Hodge’s Brony Tale has gained so much hype that acclaimed filmmaker Morgan Spurlock (of Super Size Me fame) has inked a deal with Hodge’s film company, Hodgee Films, to distribute the film across North America.

“A lot of festivals thought it wasn’t funny or that it was too weird,” Hodge said over the phone from New York City. “And then Tribeca jumped on it, and you can only dream of a guy like Morgan Spurlock picking it up — and then he does.

"Six weeks ago, no one had love for this film. The only people that did were (Vancouver film festival) DOXA (where the film will get its Canadian premiere on May 11). The last month has been really crazy.”

A 28-year-old business graduate, Hodge cut his teeth at the CBC and is known in music circles for directing and producing two Leo-nominated television documentaries about Vancouver band Said The Whale (Winning America) and singer-songwriter Dan Mangan (What Happens Next?).In March, he was named one of magazine BC Business’s “top 30 under 30” for his work with Hodgee Films.A Brony Tale is also rooted in the Vancouver music scene. The core of the film’s story involves another musician, Hey Ocean! singer Ashleigh Ball. The singer often works as a voice actor, and one of her main gigs is lending her talents voicing two of the show’s colourful characters: Rainbow Dash and Applejack.A Brony Tale explores how Ball has been dealing with her “brony” fans, and how becoming a celebrity among mostly straight men who like a children’s show has impacted her personal and professional life.“She never thought once that it would happen,” Hodge said.The film’s score was composed by Vancouver musicians Chris Kelly, Cayne McKenzie (of band We Are The City) and Hannah Epperson.Hodge said any negotiation skills gained while studying for his business degree at Otago University in Dunedin, New Zealand, went out the window when Spurlock called him.“I just said, ‘Yep. Cool. Where do we sign?’” Hodge said with a laugh. “I was totally in.“He loved everything about the film, right from Ashleigh to the storyline — everything.He didn’t want to make changes, no re-edits, nothing. He just wanted to get this thing to get out to the world. Under the “Morgan Spurlock Presents” banner, A Brony Tale will see a wide North American theatrical and video-on-demand release in July.“I don’t have the exact Canadian dates yet, but I will absolutely, one hundred per cent do Canada,” Hodge said, adding that international distribution is still unconfirmed. “I think what (Spurlock) liked about the movie is that it makes you feel good. I look at Super Size Me and it’s the same thing. Even though it’s about obesity in America, it’s still really fun and not mean-spirited.”Saturday’s premiere screening of the 79-minute documentary at Chelsea’s Bow Tie Cinemas sold out in under four hours.“This is the first time we’re going to show it in theatres, to a sold-out theatre, with a distributor on board. It doesn’t get any better than this.“De Niro’s going to have to wait in the rush line if he doesn’t have a ticket, I guess,” Hodge said with a laugh. “No, we can probably find him a ticket.”fmarchand@vancouversun.comFollow me: @FMarchandVS Read my blog: Awesome Sound

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.